Man arrested in connection with stabbing outside bar

St. Petersburg, Florida -- A man who engaged another in a fist fight at a downtown bar was arrested after he stabbed the other man outside the bar early Wednesday morning.

St. Pete Police say William Wasel was at Octave Bar on Central Avenue around 12 a.m. when he got into some kind of argument with a woman at the bar. When James Langner, a friend of hers, came to her defense Wasel punched him in the face. Langner then responded with several blows as bar security tried to break them up.

During the struggle, Wasel pulled out a knife with a 4-inch blade and began waving it wildly at the other customers who had gathered around the fight. At that point, one of the employees grabbed a chair and used it as a shield to help push Wasel out the front entrance.

Once outside, police say Wasel confronted Langner again and stabbed him in the lower chest area. Wasel then tried to run but was quickly grabbed by several customers who were able to get the knife away from him and hold him until police arrived.

Langner, 35, was taken to Bayfront Medical Center where he suffered a pierced liver but did not need surgery. His injury was not life threatening.

Wasel, 35, was also taken to the hospital for injuries to his face that he got during the fight from other customers. He was later released and taken to jail where he has been charged with Aggravated Battery and Aggravated Assault.